Recent animal models of alcoholism

Animal models on alcohol preference have a long-standing tradition in biome dical research on alcoholism. However, these models allow only limited conc lusions regarding alcohol addiction. Therefore, during the past 15 years, r esearchers have developed new animal models that mimic different aspects of human alcohol addiction, such as craving, relapse, and loss of control ove r drinking. These models include the reinstatement model, the alcohol depri vation model, and the point-of-no-return model. Some of these models have b een pharmacologically validated with anti-craving compounds that are used c linically for treating alcoholics. The detailed behavioral characterization of these new models and their pharmacological validation also allow resear chers to study the neurochemical and molecular bases of addictive behavior.